By Atmattatva das
According to our consciousness at the time of death we receive a suitable body. What we remember at the time of death is not just a matter of the momentary thought that occurs. What we have done throughout our entire life will naturally come to our mind as we leave our body. Just prior to death, our entire life is flashed before our mind's eye in a split second. One particular event will be very attractive to us, and we will focus on that. Based on that desire we will be given our next body, sometimes higher and sometimes lower. If our mind focuses on an activity which is very ignorant (tamo-guna), we will receive a suitable body among the lower species of life - as a plant, a fish, a tree, or an animal.